Re: Second Year SFG in Canada

**trolleydriver** 10/18/2016, 11:59 am

Thanks yolos for those pics and descriptions. Good ideas.

I have started collecting materials to put into the compost bin. I raked up one bag of leaves from the neighbour's driveway. Then another neighbour put out several bags of perennial and other garden clippings for the City waste pickup. To the chagrin of Mrs TD, most of those bags are now sitting in my backyard. Mrs TD is outside cleaning up her flower beds so that will add a lot more to the greens.

With today's heavy winds there will be tons of leaves coming off the trees in the neighbourhood. I will need to get busy in the next few days picking up bags of leaves from various people.

It's quite warm and very humid here in Ottawa today. It's a shorts and t-shirt day. Later in the day we are expecting T-storms and wind gust up to 80 km/hr (50 mph).

**trolleydriver** 10/18/2016, 12:55 pm

Before heading out to Home Depot to buy cedar boards to use for the slats in the compost bin, I decided to check the piles of wood in my garden shed. And there it was ... four 6 foot lengths of 1x6 cedar. Yippee! Me a happy camper.

**Kelejan** 10/18/2016, 1:36 pm

trolleydriver wrote:Before heading out to Home Depot to buy cedar boards to use for the slats in the compost bin, I decided to check the piles of wood in my garden shed. And there it was ... four 6 foot lengths of 1x6 cedar. Yippee! Me a happy camper.

It always pays to check what you have already. This morning I had to change the vacuum bag. Thinking I had to buy some more, I went into my utility room and searched and found a new packet of six that I must have bought ages and ages ago. I echo your Yippee!, TD.

I am trying to put into my computer, a page named "Where is itÈ ( I have done something to my keyboard so now I get É instead of a question mark and raised commas. How do I correct it.

Anyway, whenever I have had to search for something and find it, I try to enter it on this sheet. Already it has saved me a ton of time. All I have to do is put it back where it says so on my sheet.

**trolleydriver** 10/18/2016, 3:12 pm

Kelejan wrote:
I am trying to put into my computer, a page named "Where is itÈ ( I have done something to my keyboard so now I get É instead of a question mark and raised commas. How do I correct it.

Try this https://victoriawebsolutions.com/rid-e-question-mark/

**Kelejan** 10/18/2016, 4:24 pm

trolleydriver wrote:
Kelejan wrote:
I am trying to put into my computer, a page named "Where is itÈ ( I have done something to my keyboard so now I get É instead of a question mark and raised commas. How do I correct it.
Try this https://victoriawebsolutions.com/rid-e-question-mark/

"Where is it"?

IT WORKED, TD. So simple when you know how. Thanks a bunch.

I can see now how it happened; I must have punched the two keys together and the wrong one got there first.

**trolleydriver** 10/18/2016, 5:25 pm

Did a bit of SFG cleaning up and found these beets and green onions that I had forgotten about. I expect the beets will be woody/fibrous since they have been in the ground way too long.

Second Year SFG in Canada - Page 26 IMG_2873_zpswxxi11qg

Second Year SFG in Canada - Page 26 IMG_2873_zpswxxi11qg

**Scorpio Rising** 10/18/2016, 7:10 pm

trolleydriver wrote:Before heading out to Home Depot to buy cedar boards to use for the slats in the compost bin, I decided to check the piles of wood in my garden shed. And there it was ... four 6 foot lengths of 1x6 cedar. Yippee! Me a happy camper

Second Year SFG in Canada - Page 26 3170584802

**Scorpio Rising** 10/18/2016, 7:12 pm

I am curious, TD, how did you start those green onions? I put 16 green onion squares in this past early spring on lights and heating pad, 3 germinated. And honestly, I didn't use them.....did you use starts?

trolleydriver wrote:Did a bit of SFG cleaning up and found these beets and green onions that I had forgotten about. I expect the beets will be woody/fibrous since they have been in the ground way too long.

**trolleydriver** 10/18/2016, 7:40 pm

Scorpio Rising wrote:I am curious, TD, how did you start those green onions? I put 16 green onion squares in this past early spring on lights and heating pad, 3 germinated. And honestly, I didn't use them.....did you use starts?

SR ... I started then myself indoors and transplanted into the SFG in the Spring or early Summer. In fact, if you go back in this thread to close to the end of February 2016 you can see some of the starts growing in containers, etc.

**trolleydriver** 10/19/2016, 8:47 am

Now I am in panic mode to get my garlic planted. Need to decide which squares to use. Must think ahead as to what will be grown in each box next year to ensure good companion planting (e.g., keep garlic away from peas and beans). Decisions, decisions.

Also need to finish the new compost bin and gather neighbourhood leaves before the rains come for three days starting tomorrow.

Second Year SFG in Canada - Page 26 Aeb15f4f5de3ba696904da8165f50f2dbce

Second Year SFG in Canada - Page 26 Aeb15f4f5de3ba696904da8165f50f2dbce

CapeCoddess 10/19/2016, 3:38 pm

Scorpio Rising wrote:I am curious, TD, how did you start those green onions? I put 16 green onion squares in this past early spring on lights and heating pad, 3 germinated. And honestly, I didn't use them.....did you use starts?

trolleydriver wrote:Did a bit of SFG cleaning up and found these beets and green onions that I had forgotten about. [/url]

If you cut off and replant the root end of the onions a lot of them will regrow again. I cut my scallions off at the base only and leave them in year round. Some of them are about 4+ yrs old now.
CC

**trolleydriver** 10/19/2016, 3:48 pm

CapeCoddess wrote:
...
If you cut off and replant the root end of the onions a lot of them will regrow again. I cut my scallions off at the base only and leave them in year round. Some of them are about 4+ yrs old now.
CC

CC ... Good idea. Never thought of that. Too late now for this year.

When you says you "cut ... off at the base" does that mean you cut them just above the white bulb part which you then leave in the ground?

CapeCoddess 10/19/2016, 4:43 pm

i leave a little white part in the ground with the roots on it just like you do with chives. You could cut the white part in half or even go down further or less. Experiment with them and see what works best in your garden. If you didn't throw out the roots yet it's worth replanting them now. i mean you're just going to throw them in the compost anyway, right?

CC

**trolleydriver** 10/19/2016, 6:01 pm

Thanks CC for the explanation re the scallions.

My garlic is in. Total of 9 squares (4.5 squares each of Music and Russian Red) at 4/square based on 6 inch recommended spacing on package.

New compost bin continues to take shape. Got most of the front slat work done today.
Second Year SFG in Canada - Page 26 IMG_2884_zpsmlk40gbx

Second Year SFG in Canada - Page 26 IMG_2884_zpsmlk40gbx

Strawberry refuses to give up.
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Accumulating materials for composting.
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Getting the SFG beds cleaned up. White forks are in the garlic squares as reminders.
Second Year SFG in Canada - Page 26 IMG_2879_zpskqycdj3w

Massive dense root. I think this was from the Basil plant in the SFG.
Second Year SFG in Canada - Page 26 IMG_2875_zpsxq2dyhgk

**Scorpio Rising** 10/19/2016, 7:52 pm

Good idea with the forks! I get those massive dense roots all the time, and they take a bunch of MM away sometimes, even though I try to salvage what I can....dang it!

I will need to top my original window boxes off next spring, volume is down.

I too am cleaning up. Still have some peppers, a few maters, and the radishes/leaves....will see. No real hopes there.

**sanderson** 10/20/2016, 2:13 am

trolleydriver wrote:New compost bin continues to take shape. Got most of the front slat work done today.
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**trolleydriver** 10/21/2016, 9:50 am

New Schrade Machete ($20 at Canadian Tire) and "found" tree trunk chopping block. I'll use this to chop materials for the compost bin.

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Second Year SFG in Canada - Page 26 IMG_2887-001_zpsolctv9su

Robbomb116 10/21/2016, 1:36 pm

I shall be shamelessly stealing your compost bin design as I also have extra hardware cloth and 2x4s. Wad trying to decide how I wanted to contruct it, and your design sensa to be perfect for what I have on hand and what I wanted to get out of it!

**trolleydriver** 10/21/2016, 1:51 pm

Robbomb116 wrote:I shall be shamelessly stealing your compost bin design as I also have extra hardware cloth and 2x4s. Wad trying to decide how I wanted to contruct it, and your design sensa to be perfect for what I have on hand and what I wanted to get out of it!

Glad it gave you some inspiration especially since I shamelessly borrowed the design from sanderson and yolos.

You can see their compost bins at the following thread:

https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t20514-wanted-pictures-of-compost-bins?highlight=compost+bins

**sanderson** 10/22/2016, 12:39 am

TD, that is one wicked looking chopping block!!

CapeCoddess 10/22/2016, 7:09 pm

sanderson wrote:TD, that is one wicked looking chopping block!!

Agree! Scare-eeeee!

**trolleydriver** 10/23/2016, 3:14 pm

The rain has finally stopped and we have a beautiful blue sky. It's still quite cool and very windy which is bringing the leaves down.

I took a walk around the neighbourhood. Two people were out raking up leaves. I stopped by and asked them if I could have their leaves. Both said it was OK. So tomorrow I should have several bags of leaves for composting.

Second Year SFG in Canada - Page 26 Graphics-smilies-166731

Second Year SFG in Canada - Page 26 Graphics-smilies-166731

**llama momma** 10/23/2016, 3:28 pm

Congrats! The first couple times might seem awkward but I found when I started, people are really nice about it. Eventually I found one lady who has all the leaves I could ever want. It was nice for me to return to the same source each year. I've also given little gifts in return, some garlic, box of plastic yard bags for the following year, etc.

**trolleydriver** 10/23/2016, 4:46 pm

llama momma wrote:Congrats! The first couple times might seem awkward but I found when I started, people are really nice about it. Eventually I found one lady who has all the leaves I could ever want. It was nice for me to return to the same source each year. I've also given little gifts in return, some garlic, box of plastic yard bags for the following year, etc.

LM ... You are right about the first time being awkward but now I have no problem asking neighbours for free stuff. Mrs TD thinks I am crazy. I've never had anyone say no unless they have another use for the things. In addition to getting the free things I also get to know people in the neighbourhood.

My new compost bin is 95% free wood from a house renovation and the materials that will go into it will be free stuff from neighbours, free coffee grounds from a local coffee shop, free horse manure plus materials we get from our our own yard and kitchen. It's all good.

BTW that's a nice touch in giving little gifts. I like that.

**trolleydriver** 10/24/2016, 11:30 am

And here we go. This morning's haul of neighbourhood leaves collected from four neighbours. Total number of bags is 22. There will be more.

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Second Year SFG in Canada - Page 26 IMG_2890_zpszz93h3ch

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